Yarn holder



y 1959 K. M. GIBLIQ E"I AL YARN HOLDER Filed Aug. 10,1954

INVENTORS 164711514/4 M- G/aL/A/ in! c. Fara/5g 1 v ATTORNEY Unitfid States Patent YARN HOLDER Katherine M. Giblin and Elly C. Fischer, Manchester, Conn.

Application August 10, 1954, Serial No. 448,864

3 Claims. (Cl. 242-12953) The present invention relates to a knitting device and it particularly relates to a bobbin or spool feed knitting device which may be utilized by knitters.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a simple, inexpensive, reliable bobbin or spool feed device to be used by knitters, of light weight, which may be readily carried around by the user thereof and which will permit easy winding, give permanent tension and at the same time eliminate tangling, soiling, stretching or fraying of the yarn.

Another object is to provide a knitting aid of the bobbin or spool type which will relieve the hands of the knitter and enable better and closer attention to the knitting operation and which will permit clear vision of the quality of yarn available and permit ready control of the y Still further objects and advantages will appear in the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changes therein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects it has been found most satisfactory according to one embodiment of the invention to provide a small spool or bobbin, preferably of plastic material together with a U-shaped yoke forming an end bearing for such spool or bobbin. Desirably, the medium or middle portion of the yoke or base of the yoke is provided with a nipple or tubular projection upon which may be attached a long, flexible tube through which the yarn may be drawn as it is knitted into the fabric.

The bobbin may be conveniently replaced by moving apart the jaws of the bearing yoke and carrier. The new yarn then may be readily threaded through the flexible tube to be available to the knitter.

In the preferred form of the invention, a series of devices or spools or bobbins are permitted to hang from the material being knitted, each carrying a different type of yarn or a different color, and it is a particular feature of the present invention to provide a ratchet arrangement to prevent unwinding of the yarn except at the will and upon manual operation of the knitter.

In a preferred form of the invention, the bearing ends or yoke ends of the jaws are provided with a transverse ratchet and pawl arrangement in respect to the end flanges of the spools or bobbins.

In one preferred form the end flanges of the spools or bobbins are provided with radial projections which click past or snap past a transverse projection on the end yoke on each side of the pivot mount at the center of the yoke.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but

" ice 2 it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a side perspective view showing the feed bobbins or spools of the present invention as utilized in connection with the knitting of a fabric, such as a stocking or sleeve.

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view upon an enlarged scale as compared to Fig. 1, showing the bobbin in position with the yarn feeding upwardly through the flexible tube.

Fig. 3 is a transverse fragmentary end sectional view of the bobbin and yoke taken upon the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary and elevational view taken upon the line 44 of Fig. 2, showing the ratchet end of the yoke.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken upon the line 55 of Fig. 2 and upon an enlarged scale as compared to Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a transverse side sectional view taken upon the line 6-6 of Fig. 4 showing the pawl or ratchet elements on the ends of the spool.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a fabric A being knitted from the yarn B, C, D, E and F, which yarn B, C, D, E and F may be of different colors or textures, as desired.

The yarn B to F is fed through the tubes G from the spools H which are mounted in the ratchet clevis or yoke carriers K.

Referring to Fig. 2, the spool H has the central shaft 10 with the end'flanges 11, which may carry a wound bobbing of yarn L. The flanges 11 and central shaft 10 may be made separately or they may be molded in one piece.

Each of the flanges is provided with two radially positioned, opposite ratchet elements 50 which project laterally away from the side flanges or end flanges 11 of the bobbin H.

Between the ratchet or pawl elements 50 there is positioned the opening 49 in the end flanges 11 which receives the pivot mount for the end projection 14 of the yoke K.

The yoke K has the legs 12 with the inturned end portions 13 having conical projections 14 which set in conical recesses in the end flanges 11.

On each side of the pivot mount 14 of the yoke K is positoned the rounded projection 51 extending the full width of the leg 12 of the yoke K. These extensions 51 are so spaced in respect to the outside faces 53 of the end flanges 11 that they will click over and interfere with the movement of the projections 50.

This will prevent unwinding of the yarn L from the spool or bobbin H by the knitter.

The base 15 of the yoke K has a tubular extension 16 forming the opposite of the legs 12. This tubular extension 16 carries the lower end 17 of the flexible tubing G.

The yarn will feed up through the tube G to the fabric A being knitted.

Any number of devices shown in Fig. 2 may be utilized in connection with the fabric shown at A in Fig. 1.

After the yarn L has been exhausted, a new spool or bobbin may be placed between the legs 12 by moving them outwardly against the tension of the base 15.

After the new bobbin or spool H is snapped into place between the legs 12, the yarn then may be threaded through the tube G.

The device as shown will eliminate tangling of the yarn, permit easy winding, give permanent tension and will release most smoothly. There will be clear vision of the quantity of yarn and it will be an accurate control of the quantity desired. c.

There will be an elimination of all soiled, stretched or frayed yarn.

' The device may be made of a clear, transparent plastic or less preferably of metal or other suitable 'material.

While there has been herein described a preferred form of the invention, it should be understood that the same may be altered in details and in relative arrangment of parts within the scope of the appended claims.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 228,096, now abandoned, and is directed specifically to the stop arrangements 50 and 51, which are the essential feature of the present invention in preventing unwinding and falling of the spools when being used in the position as shown in Fig. 1. This specific construction will prevent the yarn to be removed from the spool against the stop means but at the same time will prevent the Weight of the spool from unraveling of the spool.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention, and in What manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. In a knitting system of the type having an elevated knitting position where the hands of the knitter are employed to form the knitted fabric and where there are a plurality of spools carrying the knitting yarn suspended from said knitting position by the knitting yarn leading upwardly to the knitting position, a feed arrangement consisting of a spool having end flanges carrying the wound yarn and a yoke gripping the sides of the spool having a tube carrying the initially unwound yarn, the spool and yoke both being formed of plastic and having interlocking radially extending ridges to prevent unwinding of the spool by overrunning, the yoke having a lateral extension with the separated radial ridges being molded in the outside ,faces of the yoke adjacent the end flanges of the spool preventing the spool overrunning and keeping the wound yarn in place unless it is tugged upwardly.

2. In a knitting device of the type having a plurality of knitting yarn carrying spools suspended by the yarn from a piece of fabric being knitted, said device having a spool with side flanges having radially extending stop ribson the outside faces thereof and axial pivot connections between said stop ribs, a rectangular yoke with inturned side legs having elongated projection elements engaging said axial pivot connections and the stop ribs of said spool with sufiicient resiliency to prevent unwinding unless the yarn is drawn upwardly, and a guide tube extending upwardly to guide the yarn from the spool to the fabric, said yoke having an opening in the base thereof to receive the yarn and a tubular projection to receive the yarn and the end of the tube, said axial pivot connections consisting of openings in the ends of the spool and said elongated projection elements extending radially in respect to said openings and acting as stops in respect to said stop ribs.

3. All plastic yarn spool feed arrangement useful in knitting suspended by the knitting yarn during the knitting operation, comprising an inverted U-shaped yoke having a base with side legs with inturned laterally extending end portions having radially extending projections, a spool with circular end flanges with radially disposed ridges acting as stops, said spool carrying the yarn, said yoke having a tubular projection from the base thereof through which the yarn is fed, the sides of said yoke being pressed against the ends of said spool by the side legs and exerting sufiicient pressure against said spool to hold said spool against turning upon contact between said projections and ridges except upon upward drawing of the yarn.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,056,428 Kramer Mar. 18, 1913 1,277,553 Crandall Sept. 3, 1918 2,422,358 Lobl June 17, 1947 2,442,670 Tarasuk ,June 1, 1948 2,457,323 Sharps Dec. 28, 1948 2,469,103 Carlson May 3, 1949 2,550,271 Kagel Apr. 24, 1951 2,578,045 Conrad et a1 Dec. 11, 1951 

